International Women’s Day

Screening: Burning Bikinis

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2017, aditus foundation and the European Parliament Office in Malta shall be screening the documentary-film Burning Bikinis on the 3rd March @ 3pm – Spazju Kreattiv at St James Cavalier, Valletta.

A debate will follow the screening with the participation of:

Dr Therese Comodini Cachia, MEP

Dr Miriam Dalli, MEP

Dr Maria Pisani, Lecturer and Activist

Dr Virginia Monteforte, Anthropologist

Ms Pauline Miceli, Commissioner for Children

Ms Lorraine Spiteri, Chairperson MCWO

Moderated by: Dr Neil Falzon, Director aditus foundation

Admission is free. Book: TICKETS HERE

The docu-film centres on the collective memories of women’s movements in Malta from the 1960s up until present day. An almost total absence of public, academic and journalistic records attesting to Maltese female lobbies or organisations led to the researchers interviewing women active in those days and tracing those incidents, events and places that were so important to their struggles. As all that we have are their voices and their testimony as the living record of those events. This film is a nod to them and to the others that will come.

A co-production: aditus foundation, Subway Lab

Directors: Emmanuel Tut-Rah Farah, Alessandro Tesei

Country: Malta

Languages: English, Italian (with subtitles)

Duration: 56 minutes

Age-Classification: all

Photos taken during filming of Burning Bikinis
(ph: Emmanuel Tut Rah-Farah, Alessandro Tesei)

for more information contact: antonellasgobbo@aditus.org.mt or carlacamilleri@aditus.org.mt

The Burning Bikinis project has been sponsored by:

Screening of Burning Bikinis: Bikinis, Society, Women

Screening: 3rd March, 2017 @ 15:00 – Spazju Kreattiv at St James Cavalier, Valletta

“Attention girls: … Do not try to attract attention by laughing or talking loudly in a public place… Do not exaggerate in the clothes you wear. Boys are very often embarrassed if the girl they are with is wearing too mini a skirt, too much make-up or a dress which is too low cut. – Times of Malta, Friday June 7, 1968”

As an International Woman’s Day event aditus will screen its docu-film Burning Bikinis: Bikinis, Society, Women.

We have been researching and interviewing some amazing women (and men) in an attempt to document the collective memories of women’s movements in Malta from the 1960s up until present day. An almost total absence of public, academic and journalistic records attesting to Maltese female lobbies or organisations led to Antonella and Carla interviewing women, including women active in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and tracing those incidents, events and places that were so important to their struggles.

We spent days at the National Archives in Rabat, trawling through newspaper articles and also spoke to the new generation feminists!

(ph: Emmanuel Tut Rah-Farah, Alessandro Tesei)

All that we have are their voices and their testimony as the living record of those events. This film is a nod to them and to the others that will come.

for more information contact: antonellasgobbo@aditus.org.mt or carlacamilleri@aditus.org.mt

Supported by

#solidaritywalkwithmigrants

Understanding the Right of Access to Legal Assistance in Malta: Access to a Lawyer, Legal Aid and Pro Bono

The Battenberg Suite, Osborne Hotel, Valletta – 13th January, 2017

aditus foundation, together with The Critical Institute, is organising a seminar which will bring together local and foreign experts, whose contributions will cast light on Maltese human rights obligations to provide free legal assistance for the protection of fundamental rights, the Maltese legal aid system, its shortcomings and possible developments and on the benefits of a strong pro bono culture.

Seminar Programme:

10h00 Opening remarks: Presentation of the programme and the experts

10h30 Access to legal aid as an essential precondition for the exercise of the right to a fair trial: the European roadmap – Tzeni Varfi, Legal and Policy Officer, Fair Trials, Brussels

11h15 Q&A

11h30 Coffee break

12h00 The implementation of the right of access to a lawyer: European Court of Human Rights and national case-law – Jodie Blackstock, Legal Director, Justice, London

12h45 Q&A

13h00 Lunch

14h30 The Maltese legal aid system: current legislation and possible reforms – Ann Spiteri, Lawyer – LEAP (Legal Expert Advisory Panel) Expert, Malta

15h00 The pro bono legal assistance: a commitment to an effective and accessible legal aid system – Marieanne McKeown, Director of Global Pro Bono, PILnet, The Global Network for Public Interest Law

15h30 Reacting panel and discussion: the gaps in the Maltese Legal Aid system and pro bono assistance Ann Spiteri and Marieanne McKeown

16h00 Coffee break

16h30 Round up of the day’s discussion and closing remarks

17h00 End of the seminar

The seminar is free of charge and lunch will be provided to all participants. Places are limited, in order to book, please email: alessiacicatiello@aditus.org.mt and carlacamilleri@aditus.org.mt

This project has been funded through the Voluntary Organisations Project Scheme managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector on behalf of the Ministry for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties.

Non-renewal of Temporary Humanitarian Protection N status…what’s going on?

Over the past few days news has been circulating that the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security is reviewing Temporary Humanitarian Protection Status N (THPN). This is a national status the Office of the Refugee Commissioner (RefCom) grants to failed asylum-seekers who Malta has not been able to return to their countries of origin and who have shown to be integrating.

In practice, this latter points means that, to be eligible for THPN status, applicants are required to fulfil integration-related criteria, including: employment or self-employment, fulfilment of national fiscal obligations, living independently.

Another item hitting the news at this same time relates to the arrest and detention of a group of men from Mali, with a view to deportation. The two news items are not necessarily related, yet we do acknowledge that in the minds of most – especially of migrants – they are one and the same news item.

The aim of this blog post is to share information we can confirm:

What we know so far

MHAS is currently reviewing THPN. We don’t know the details of the review, and can only hope for a better system.

MHAS has decided that, pending this THPN review all THPN holders whose certificates expire during the review will not have their THPN renewed. This means that, overnight, they will have no documentation and will start suffering the consequences of being undocumented.

This constitutes a regression of rights, a potential violation of Malta’s obligations under the International Covenant of Economic Social and Cultural Rights. It also raises questions as to the measure’s compatibility with other human rights obligations binding Malta to respect and protect human dignity.

We can also confirm that NGOs have been wholly excluded from this review, despite our repeated offers of cooperation and dialogue.

We also know that some migrants from Mali have been arrested and detained with a view to being deported. Little more information can be provided at this stage as we have yet to visit them in Safi Detention Centre. We cannot say whether any of these persons were former THPN holders.

As soon as we heard the news regarding the non-renewals, together with Integra Foundation and JRS Malta, we immediately wrote to MHAS

welcoming the much-needed review of THPN status, since we had been urging a reform;
reiterated our willingness to be consulted;
urged a cancellation of the non-renewal policy due to its massive impact on people’s lives.

We are eagerly awaiting the Ministry’s replies.

We have also met with representatives of migrant communities to share information and discuss strategies. They confirmed that many people are extremely worried, and already running into serious problems with their day-to-day affairs.

We will keep providing updates on this issue.

If you have any queries, please direct them to our Director.

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